To Be Beautiful or not to Be Beautiful

To be beautiful or not to be beautiful… that is the question. I created a quote that says, “The beauty is in the root, not only in the bud”. But is that really the case when it comes to finding your match. In the article, Eyes Can’t Resist Beautiful People, Andrea Thompson says that “whether we’re looking for someone to date or sizing up a rival, our eyes lock on to good-looking people”. I have to be honest with myself and agree in a large amount with her statement. Our senses are the first detectors of a friend or a foe. And if our foe happens to be a sexy man or woman, that might make the battle more difficult, for humans are always in this cycle of competition with others.

But then again, why are we so consumed with the image of people. Are we that insecure with how we look that we have to constantly compare ourselves to others. If that man has flatter abs will he really be more of a threat to us? Or if that woman was not blessed in the beauty department, will that diminish her power? According to the research of Jon Maner “…evolution has trained our brains to subconsciously latch on to signs of physical attractiveness in others, both to find a mate and to guard her from potential competitors”.

Love and loss… What a confusing ball of emotions they bring up in us. Jealousy and envy spark at the most inopportune times and then the waves of love and attraction can sometimes be so strong the very thought o f that person can drive one insane. But how much do the looks of these significant people play a role in our emotions. Can we fall in love with an ugly person? Yes, I believe we can. Will it be love at first sight? Maybe, maybe not. That type of love might have to develop over time when the two people can get to know who they are underneath the face, the body and the fashion.

And what happens when you do find that special person and the horrific feeling of jealousy and infidelity arise? Jon Maner says that “when it comes to concerns about infidelity, men are very attentive to highly attractive guys because presumably their wives or girlfriends may be too”. Beautiful people might have more opportunities for attracting love but they also have more opportunities for attracting jealousy. So I guess it does pay to be beautiful in the end. For with beauty comes power.

So be weary of that beautiful rose. For after you smell the essence and touch the soft petals, there are sharp thorns further down the stem. With beauty comes responsibility, and like the thorns, responsibility can hurt if it is not taken seriously and used delicately. So I would say, see the beauty for what it is, nice to look at and fun to fantasize about. But take a chance and see beyond the looks by diminishing the power of the obvious. Get to know the person from the inside out for “The beauty is in the root, not only in the bud”